Multi-vat chicken fryer



June 24, 1958 MASON MULTI-VAT CHICKEN FRYER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 25, 1955 v INVENTOR. desse 5. MCZSOH mmvzgpwm v 0mm A t io rn 64/ s June 24, 1958 J. B. MASON MULTI-VAT CHICKEN FRYER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 25, 1955 INVENTOR Mason wfl n z a After-megs dess e 5.

G'PW QW 2,840,436 'MULTI-VAT- CHICKEN FRYER Jesse B. Mason, Cheyenne, Wyo. Application February 25, 1955, Serial No. 490,476

: 1 Claim. emu-284 This invention relates to a chicken fryer designed for commercial operations, such as large restaurants, hotels, catering services, and the like.

In many large scale restaurant or related food prepara tion and supply operations, large quantities of chicken must be fried in a minimum of time, over a continuing period.

Under these circumstances, it is essentialthat means be provided that will permit the chicken to be speedily processed through the several stages or preparation, from the raw material to the completely fried end product, and it is further of importance that'the processing of the chicken be carried out in an orderly,'speedy manner, by a minimum number of workers. Speedy processing of the food in this manner obviously results in considerable savings as regards the labor and equipment used, and further, results in a marked increase in the income to be derived from the operation by reason of the fact that a great number of customers can be served in a minimum amount of time, thusspeeding customer turnover and enabling an establishment to accommodate agreater number of customers in a shorter period of time than has heretofore been possible. i

The main object of the present invention is to provide a commercial chicken fryer which will be particularly designed to accomplish the above stated results, and to this end, the fryer constituting the invention, summarizedbriefly, if of a multivat type, comprising a bank'of compartments each of which is used for processingthe chicken through a particular step. Thus, a first compartment can be used to receive the raw chicken, for searing and browning purposes. After being seared and browned, the chicken is transferred to a second compartment, in which the chicken is processed through a slow cooking step. A third compartment may also be used for the slow cooking step, if desired, and a last compartment is used as a storage and simmer cooker, the last compartment being deeper than the other compartments. As the chicken is transferred from one compartment to another, the compartment from which the chicken is transferred is available to receive an additional quantity, thus setting up the mass production chicken frying operation and resulting in the production of large quantities of fried chicken in a minimum period of time.

Another object of importance is to so design the multivat chicken fryer as to facilitateits assembly and disassembly, thus reducing considerably the cost of manufacture.

Still another object is to form the chicken fryer in such a manner as to permit the several component parts there-, of to be easily lifted out of a suitable supporting frame, thus "permitting a complete cleaning of each compartment independently of the remaining compartments, as well as a complete cleaningor maintenance of a suitable supporting frame.

Still-another object is to provide, on each compart ment, means facilitating the draining off of cooking grease, without requiring movement of the compartment from the supporting frame.

Yet another object is to provide an arrangement, in a bank of compartments used in a chicken fryer of the, type, referred to, wherein the several compartments in effect interlock, so as to holdthe same in proper position f on the associated supporting frame. I Other objects will appear from the following descript1on, the claim appended thereto, and from the annexed drawing, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the severalviews, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view ofthe commercial chicken fryer, portions being broken away; I

Figure 2 is an enlarged view of the fryer as seen from theileft ,of Figure'l, portions being shownin section;

and

Figure 3 is a front elevational been brokenaway.

The 'commercialchicken fryer constituting the present invention may be considered as comprising two'main components or assemblies, these being a compartment. assembly generally designated 10 and including a plu-H rality ofscparable compartments, and a rigidframe as 1 I sembly generally designated'12. and supporting the compartment assembly in an elevated position above a suit,-

able supporting surface v Considering first the construction of the frame assembly- 12, this is-formed throughout'of stainless steel,'and

it may be noted at this point that the remaining parts of the device are similarly formed, so far as all flat surfaces or panels thereof are concerned, of similar metal', thus to facilitate maintenance of the device in a sanitary condition.

.The frame is composed of a plurality of anglejmembers, arranged as vertically extending corner legs 14, connected at the front and rear ofthe chicken fryer by I,

elongated lower longitudinal braces 16 extending from end to end of the structure. The corner legs are further connected, at the opposite ends of the structure, by lower cross braces 18.

Intermediate the corner legs, and disposed more closely to the legs at one endfof the device than to the legs at l are verticallyextending inter the other end of the device, mediate legs 20.- 1 Extendingv between the nally of the structure.

at an elevation higher than that of the elements 22. Extending between the pairs of corner legsfare uppercross braces2 2, thus providing, at the top of the frame assembly, an open, horizontally disposed rectangular frame, one end of which is oifset downwardly in the space between 'the'intermediate legs 20 and the adjaceutecorner legs 14.

Extending acrossthe front of the frame assembly, at

the upper end thereof, is a front cover panel 26, said cover panel extending from end: to endof the structure and being integral at its opposite ends with end cover" panels 28.

In the illustrated ex arnple, a four compartment fryer is shown It will be understood, in this connection, that a three compartment fryer mightbe used, andfurther,

in some particularly large' commercial operations, the

. 2,840,436. A Patented; June 24, 1958.

view in which parts have intermediate legs 20 and the: adjacent corner legs 14, at thefrontand rear of the. structure, are relatively short, horizontally disposed stor- 7 age compartment support elements. 22 extending longitudi- Extendingbetween the intermediate legs 20 andthe othercorner legs 14 are elongated,

longitudinally extending support elerrients -2 1, disposed:

swung upwardlyjwheneven desired. The. cover maybe,

poses, and is adapted "to receive the chicken in a raw state: Compartment-fireceivesathe 'chickerrin-a second step of the operation, after ;the same has been scared and browned, and, in this compartment, the chicken is put through *a slow cooking j Compartment M is also used for a slow cooking process;two slow"cool r-" ing yompartnrents', being used 'tq' one searing and brown,- ingpcornpartment'in view of the fact that thesearing and browning is accomplished inta substantially shorter peri; d of time than-is required for slow cooking.v The two slow. cooking. compartments 'thus, receive 7 the entire out put-of the single searing andbrowning compartmentfi Compartment '36iis used for storage; and "simmering purposes, thechicken heing placedin this compartment after ,being' fully cooked',fto await serving. Compartment 361ssubstantially deepenthan the remaining ,compartments,, so as to hold afsubst antial quantity of..chicken; receiving the entire output of the compartments 32,)34.

Considering'the construction of the individual compartmer ts, the compartment 3 0hasa flat bottom 38 integral witha' relativelylow, upstanding side" wallflgw." A cover 42,;is provided with); Piano hinge extendinglfrbrn side to' side" of ;the compartment, at; the, back icnd thereof,

provided ,withi'adorned portionjfi,which,1in, turn can, ifjdesired, have. a sightfwihdo'w formedrthereina A handle 48 is provided at ,theufronth end ,of,the cover to facilitate lifting thereof. i

Inthe bottom .38 thereis providedfa valve 50 which is frqnt edgegofrther horizontal leg in; the plane .of said I tizon lleg-gg T e. carer; hasa -fla.t-. marginalnpart. con-w A nected to the hinge, and disposed in the.;plane;. ;ofr the;

h rizontalrleg in: thezsclosedazportionspfrlthm-coven; A dome.;portion;46nextendsmbave saidiplane and as aremainingcompart mcntspa domed cover 74, a hinge 76 for the-cover, and-a splash pan -78.

Positioned over the lipped adjacent sides of the compartments to prevent food, grease, etc., from entering therebetween, are removable bars 80, 82, the side edges of the covers bearing thereagainst in the closed positions of the cover.

As shown in Figure 1, irthehinges of alternating com- "partments are ofiset rearwardly relative to the hinges of the other compartments: Thus; in mounting the compartments on thesupportingframe, one .would first insert the compartments 32 and 36, these having the rearwardly otfs'et hinges: These are'supporteduponthe adjacent partitions-:54, after which the compartments 30,

the compartments 32, 36.

partments are, removable bodily' 'from the'supportiug frame-leaving theinterior of the frame wholly exposed for cleaning purposes," and"-further,.'each compartment can-be-izoinpletelycleaned "separatelyfrom the others, 7

thus facilitatingthe maintenance of the structure 'inia V wholly sanitary-condition.

It will be seen"that inuse,the device permits the commercial frying of "chicken in "great quantities.

asa deep fat' cooker'ortthe like, and is intended entirely for 'the speedy pan' frying' of. chicken.

It is also anxim'portant characteristic of the device that'comparativelyxlittleattention must be given to the same, consideringthe amountof chicken that can be fried therein in a relatively 'short'period of time. Thus, a single employee, can'devote his attention to the several compartments, and after, for example, a quantity of chicken has been scared and browned in.the compare,

ment. 30,'andhas been transferred to the compartment 0 32or 34;"a freshsupply of 'raw material can be placed sultewhennthercoven 'is i-swung: upwardly, the dome por- 7 tion will come to rest against the verticai leg ofithe spla'sh pan to maintain-the cover'in its upwardly swung position; m connection; as-will be noted frOmFigure 2-," the distance that 'theidoine portion-projects above Y the -plane of the marginal tpart of the cover is 'appijoxi match-equal to the length "of thehorizontal leg gfl the;

splash pan, viewing theisplash pan 'incross section. .Sifiee the m cus directly in "mm-i of the horizontal leg, this.

means that when theflcoveris swung upwardly, itflcan swing slightly beyond a fully vertical position.withthe dome portion coming to rest againsflthesplash pain, thus L to maintain"the'"cover in itsopen positionaj At uniformly spaced locations alca'ngQthe length, there 6 of, "the frame assembly is provided with dividing parti 54, betweenwhich the. sev eral compartments are dIsPQcd. The. partitions .at.,their upper ends are formed A with line. to ipi ide; suppprtlusurfaces .,for the correspgiidin'glnlipped sidefledge portions of theiseveralicom=f luaidomedhcoveris8ya valve drain 6.0, ;and;:a hinge-.62.

CqmPWmh-M 'aze :similarncoxer: 64, a splash pan. 5 l nd: :8 mum-$8, ,',vvhile;..the icompartmente 36. 1: has"a I relafive afizh zhzisideswalh a walve=drain opening 72 3 'formodzin .its'rbottom, the bottom-0f :thecompartrnent 36- clinch-downwardly below bottoms of: the' re-- 7 5 in the compartment 30, whi1e the chicken just transferred therefrom is Lbeing. put through the slow cooking process.

of persons in a comparativelyshort period of time.

It 'i'sfbelieved apparent that the invention is not necessarilyjconfined to the specificiuse or uses thereof described above, since itmay be 'utiliied for any purpose to .whichit may be ,suited.J Ndris'the invention to be necessarily limited to thespeciijc'l construction illustrated to be illustrative of" the principles,1it being considered a that the inventioncomprehendsanya minor change in.. construction .that may ,bejlpermitted withinthe scope of j the appended Icla'irn.

What, is claimed is:

In" a chicken fryer, a supporting, frame; at least one compartment mounted in said frame and opening upwardlyin the topgof the frame, a splash'pan secured to the. frameat the'top thereofand extending along the back end of the compartment, said splash pan being. of a right-angular cross'section, and including a vertical leg and a horizontalleg projecting forwardly from ithe lowerlcdg'e of'thevertical ,le'gland fixedly secured to the frame; and a cover for said compartment having a hinge connection to the frameextending-along the forto the distancebetween'the forward edge of the horizontal leg and junctureof said legs,,wherehy said cover mayfbe swunggupwardlyl to an openxposition slightly beyond the"vertical with the dorne portion engaged It, wil'lbenoted that the device is not intended'to be used Acontinuous production of.pan fried chicken thus results, permitting, the feeding ofa large number,

against the vertical leg of the splash pan to limit movement of the cover beyond said open position thereof, said dome portion having a flat top surface extending in area over the major part of the area of the dome portion, said top surface lying wholly in a plane parallel to the plane of the marginal part,- said plane of the top surface being inclined from the vertical when in engagement with the splash pan, and engaging the splash pan along the top edge portion of the splash pan in the raised position of the cover.

' References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

